Body found in search for missing SW Missouri girl

Wednesday

Aug 21, 2013 at 6:12 PM

Searchers found a body Wednesday outside the southwest Missouri town where a 12-year-old girl disappeared two days earlier, but a positive identification could take up to 24 hours, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Associated Press

Searchers found a body Wednesday outside the southwest Missouri town where a 12-year-old girl disappeared two days earlier, but a positive identification could take up to 24 hours, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Adriaunna Horton, of Golden City, became the subject of a massive search after friends reported seeing her get into a vehicle late Monday afternoon at a park where they had been playing. The driver, 34-year-old Bobby Bourne Jr., of Lamar, was alone when he was stopped about 90 minutes later and has since been charged with kidnapping.

Bourne is being held on $1 million bond in the Barton County jail. Adriaunna's father, James Horton, has said Bourne once worked for him and that their children played together.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Watson declined Wednesday afternoon to say precisely where the body was found or describe the condition, The Joplin Globe reported. He said the search was suspended but that investigators were still examining the scene.

DNA testing may be necessary to make a positive identification, Watson said. He said any additional charges against Bourne would up to the county prosecutor.

Earlier Wednesday, relatives had expressed optimism that Adriaunna would be found safe.

Her grandfather, also named James Horton, described the girl who disappeared following the first day of school as a lively, active child.

"She can run like a rabbit, and she's double-jointed, and she's smart, knows how to use a phone, and if she gets a chance, she's gone," the grandfather said.

The Barton County Clerk's office said Wednesday a judge has ordered all documents in the case sealed, and it's unclear if Bourne has a lawyer.

Adriaunna's mother, Wendi Jackson of Overland Park, Kan., was in Golden City to be with relatives during the search.

Golden City is a town of about 760 residents northwest of Springfield.